ROWAN“Mummy looks like a princess!”I laugh at the remark as I stand in front of the full-length mirror, fingers trailing over the delicate fabric of my mating dress. The soft white folds cling to my body like a second skin, flowing down in elegant waves to pool around my feet. The intricate gold embroidery along the bodice and hem catches the soft light, making it glimmer like stars across a night sky. The dress is modeled after ancient Greek designs, and yet it feels uniquely mine, as if it were made for this exact moment. Which it was.“You are right,” Lisa tells Jhenells as she adjusts the waist, while Rina’s fussing over my hair, placing small white flowers into the delicate braids. “But a queen instead. You are the princess.”Kaylee stands off to the side, smiling at me like she already knows what I am thinking.“You look... perfect, Rowan,” she says softly, her eyes filled with warmth. “Viktor won’t know what hit him.”I let out a small laugh, a nervous tremble in my chest
LOUISA.“You have got to be kidding me!” Dominic snarls as I stand at the entrance, frozen in terrified shock.This is a nightmare.I knew that whoever my mate would be wouldn't be happy about it but I didn't think it would be Dominic, the Alpha.“How in the goddess’s name does this make sense?!” he continues. “You can't even shift into your wolf? How are you my mate?!”“I am so- sorry,” I stuttered, head bowed to avoid his gaze. “I didn't- I am-”“Enough! Goddess, you are pathetic. What was the goddess thinking? Pairing me up with you?” he mutters as he runs his hands through his hair.I stay silent, unable to answer.Honestly, I am wondering the same too. Why would I be paired with Dominic? The man hates me with a passion.“Why are you still here?” he snaps at me.“I am sorry!” I exclaim as I quickly look up, only to see the look of pure unadulterated loathing on his face. “You… you called for me… I don’t-”“Ugh,” he groans as he walks towards me pushing me out of the way and headin
LOUISA.The sun comes up to see me, huddled in a corner of his room.Bruised, bloody, and hurting.While he sleeps soundly without a care in the world.I want to kill him.The thought is as strong as it is alarming.In all my years of living with Dominic, I have never resented him for the way he treated me.Oh, I didn't like it, but I understood him.So, I tried my best to never cross his path.But this…This makes me cold.Not a sad kind of cold but a building rage that I try to tamp down.It is every shewolf’s dream to have a beautiful mating ritual, filled with tenderness and love from her mate.I… I was brutalised. Raped and broken all because of his own misconceptions about me.I never did anything to him.Never undermined him or insulted him, why would he hurt me like this?His own mate?It's not right.It's not fair.It makes me mad.And for the first time, I contemplate killing someone.My own mate.And yet, I don't move.I just stay here, huddled in a corner, like a pathetic
LOUISA.News of Dominic and I being mates quickly spread across the pack and the general atmosphere is that of shock and tension.Shock, because who would ever think that Dominic would be mated to me?Tension because they know who he is and are wary of how he would act.Hell, I am wary of his reaction but I don't plan on staying to find out.I hear it in the quiet whispers of those who pass by Harriet's door and in how they try to look inside.I see it in the tailor’s look as she takes my measurements for the ceremonial gown.I feel it in the sudden silence that envelops a place when Dominic walks by.And through it all, there is just one resounding thought in my head.Leave.Leave before it is too late.“This is a beautiful gown,” Harriet comments as she takes an admiring look at me, standing on a podium.I turn to look at my reflection and I will give it to her, it is a stunning dress.The gown is made from smooth, pure white silk, adorned with intricate silver stitching that sparkl
ROWAN.“Going somewhere? Mate,” he asks, his voice cold and his eyes even colder.“Dominic-”THWACK.My head hit the floor at the force of the slap and I tasted blood in my mouth from my split lip.“I told you never to call me that! It is Alpha to you!”“I am sorry…” I say, only to notice my vision going blurry.Something he seems to notice as I try to look up at him.“Good, it is working,” he remarks as he gets to his feet.“I told you it would,” a voice says.Clarisse.She is here…She drugged me.And he knew about it.Why?“You must be wondering what is happening right now,” he says. “So am I. Tell me, where are you going?”I don't answer him.He is not stupid, he can clearly see what I was planning to do.“Wow, she really has grown some guts,” Clarisse croons as she walks towards him, her vicious voice spitting poison at me. “She must think she is something special because she was mated to you.”“Quiet Clarisse, can't you see I am talking to your Luna,” he asks.“Luna my foot! How
ROWAN.It is the voices that lull me to consciousness.At first, they are just murmurs, indecipherable sounds that just hover over me and then they become clearer.“I think she is coming around.”“What? How do you know that?”“I saw her hand just twitch. There! It did it again. Did you see it?”“Really? hi! Hello, can you bear me? Can you try and open your eyes? Hello?”Several gentle taps on my face later and I manage to squint my eyes open.The first thing I notice is that I can see.Whatever it was that Dominic had Clarisse put in my food must have worn off. My eyes are so clear that I have to turn away from the shining rays of the sun.The second thing I notice is the pain.Turning my head from the direction of the sun causes shafts of immense pain to run through my body, ripping out a strangled groan from me.“Ugh,” I groan as I try to take in a deep but measured breath.“Hey, hey, hey. I wouldn't move if I were you,” one of the two voices cautions. “You have some pretty rough br
ROWAN“Well, who is talking?” the man demands.We are going to die.I am going to die.I may not know much about the outside world, but I do know this, the Vale pack are ruthless to outsiders.“Seize them!” The man orders and the wolves begin advancing on us.“Wait! Wait!” Lisa says as she gets to her feet. “There has been a misunderstanding and we can explain…”“When I say run you run,” Rina whispers to me .“What?”“Shh. Lisa is stalling for time, enough for us to get a moment. How do you feel about getting into the river again?”“A preferable choice to dying in the Vale pack,” I respond.“I knew I liked you.”We tune back to Lisa’s conversation, and even then I can't make sense of what she is saying.“...and then there were rabid wolves coming out of everywhere and Now!”My body reacts before my brain catches up, throwing myself back into the water and I begin swimming for dear life.I hear two other splashes join me in the water as well as the echoing screams of the wolves on th
ROWAN EIGHT MONTHS LATER.“I am telling you, she is about to pop!” “And I am telling you to be quiet! You are making her more nervous.”“She can't hear me, we are outside.”“You underestimate how annoyingly loud and irritating your voice is!”I can't help but chuckle at their banter, only for another lance of pain to cut it short.“Damn it!” I curse, wincing as another contraction rips through my body.This is hell.“Ro!” Rina exclaims as they both rush in. “Are you okay?”“Not really, where were you two?” I ask. “You weren't here when I woke up.”Here is a wooden cottage that we had come across a few weeks ago during our roaming.The girls as well as I, had been worried as to where we could stay, especially with what looks like my due date coming up.It was a well furnished home with all necessary appliances required for a comfortable living.Lisa had theorized that it belonged to some human who had probably migrated to the city for the winter.Either way, we thanked the goddess
ROWAN“Mummy looks like a princess!”I laugh at the remark as I stand in front of the full-length mirror, fingers trailing over the delicate fabric of my mating dress. The soft white folds cling to my body like a second skin, flowing down in elegant waves to pool around my feet. The intricate gold embroidery along the bodice and hem catches the soft light, making it glimmer like stars across a night sky. The dress is modeled after ancient Greek designs, and yet it feels uniquely mine, as if it were made for this exact moment. Which it was.“You are right,” Lisa tells Jhenells as she adjusts the waist, while Rina’s fussing over my hair, placing small white flowers into the delicate braids. “But a queen instead. You are the princess.”Kaylee stands off to the side, smiling at me like she already knows what I am thinking.“You look... perfect, Rowan,” she says softly, her eyes filled with warmth. “Viktor won’t know what hit him.”I let out a small laugh, a nervous tremble in my chest
DOMINIC The world narrows down to just Viktor and me, as it was always going to be. This fight has been a long time comingHis eyes burn into mine from below, and I snarl down at him from the balcony. All the noise, all the chaos around us fades into nothing. Just him. Just me. My pulse thunders in my ears as I leap from the ledge, muscles coiling, ready to tear him apart.In mid-air, the change rips through me. Bones snap, skin stretches, and fur bursts from my skin. The transformation into my wolf form is savage, overwhelming. And in the space of a heartbeat, I am no longer a man but a beast. I barely register Viktor doing the same, his massive body surging upward to meet mine.We collide like thunder.Teeth flash, claws slash, fur and flesh tear. I drive him to the ground, snarling, biting, desperate to tear out his throat. But he fights back just as viciously, his teeth sinking into my shoulder with a brutal snap. The pain is white-hot, but I don’t feel it. Not really.
DOMINICThe fight surrounds me the moment I step into the clearing, chaos, mouse, bloodshed, everything swallowing up the night. Wolves… mone and outsiders…they are everywhere. It is impossible to tell who is who at first, just teeth, fur, and blood under the slivers of moonlight. They… Viktor and Rowan, they were ready for us. That much I expected, but what I didn’t count on was the sheer number of them.I should have been warned. I should have seen this coming. But no one told me. Not even Calvin.I can see Viktor and Rowan through the mayhem, cutting through my wolves like they knew every move we would make. Like someone had informed them of my protocols When I find who that fucking traitor is, he or she would wish their parents had never met.How the hell did they get so close? I wonder as my pulse quickens with anger, as I push through the bloodied mess to get to them.But then I see the others- Maxwell, Fin, Sven, Kaylee and her weakling husband, Donald. Traitors.Wha
DOMINIC“Let me out! I hate you!”Jhenelle’s voice rings out again, shrill and desperate, making the fragile peace I had hoped for, to be nothing more than a dream Her words slam into me, causing a visceral reaction that surprises even meHer small fists bang against the door, over and over, relentless. Each hit feels like a direct assault on my patience. She doesn’t understand. No.She refuses to understand. I stand just outside the door, my hands pressed against my temples, trying to drown out her cries. But no matter how hard I press, her voice breaks through, each shout like a blade carving away at my restraint. I have given her everything, more than Rowan ever could, more than anyone could. A life free from struggle, safety, power, a future in her rightful place by my side.As the future Alpha of the obsidian pack.What more could she possibly want?Why does she keep rejecting me? Why does she keep fighting me like this?“Jhenelle, stop!” I snap, but my voice is lost bene
ROWAN They say the truth always finds a way to come out.And that is better you let it come from your own mouth than anotherI just hope that is true.Especially now.The tension in the air is so thick, I can almost taste it. This the first time the settlement has been this packed, with wolves from all over have gathered, and it is like the entire place is holding its breath, waiting for an explosion. Their eyes are on me, waiting for answers. You can differentiate my wolves from the others.They are angry, confused, a little scared because of the foreign pack wolves but more than anything, they are restless. Dominic has crossed a line, touched their little wolf and they want blood.The other wolves are just curious about why they have been summoned and are waiting for an explanationIt is Kaylee that first steps forward first, her mate, Donald, right behind her.“What are we doing here, Rowan?” She asks, her voice cutting through the low murmurs of the other wolves. “You have e
ROWAN SLAM!The door to my study bursts open, crashing against the wall with a force that sends a shudder through the room, making me whirl around, heart racing only to see Alden dragging a trembling wolf behind him. A familiar wolf.Martin.One of the deserters.Oh, I knew it!I knew I shouldn't have accepted these scums into the Coalition Martin's face is ashen, his eyes wide with panic, darting around the room like a trapped animal. I stand abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. "Alden, what is this?" My voice is steady, but there is a hint of rage that I can't hide.Alden says nothing at first, simply steps aside to let two others enter. A young woman and a young man, both wolves from the obsidian pack, step forward. Their faces are tense, their eyes locked on me.Lisa, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, rises to her feet, her eyes narrowing as she takes in the scene. Viktor, standing by the window, moves closer, his presence commanding the room while Rina
ROWANEverything is moving too fast, yet not fast enough. Wolves are running, voices are shouting, and I feel trapped in a slow-motion nightmare, each second dragging on while the urgency inside me screams for action. My heart is racing in my chest, fear gripping every part of me, and I know -I just know- that Jhenelle is no longer here. Dominic… he was here.He must have taken her out of the park.The bastard. "She is not here," I whisper, more to myself than to anyone else. But Viktor, standing close, hears me."Rowan, we are doing everything we can," he says firmly. His voice is calm, but I can see the tension in his eyes. He is scared too. But that fear, it is not enough. It will not bring her back. We have to do something. I have to do something. Sitting here, waiting for others to find her, is not an option. It just will not work."No," I say louder now, my throat tight as I turn to face him. "No, Viktor. You do not understand. She is not in the settlement. He would
DOMINICThe audacity!That fucking bitch!I can't help but seeth as I stand at the edge of the clearing, just beyond the flickering light of the bonfire, cloaked in shadow. The night air is heavy with the scent of pine and smoke, mingled with the sharp tang of burning wood. Wolves are scattered around the fire, their faces lit with joy and warmth. The air hums with celebration, laughter ringing out into the night as if they have nothing to fear.But they should fear me.I watch them, my eyes narrowing on the center of the celebration. There, in the glow of the fire, are Rowan and Victor, laughing together as if they have won. My chest tightens, a bitter taste rising in the back of my throat as I watch how her hair catches the light, gleaming like embers in the dark, her smile that should have been mine is now directed at that bastard, ViktorI clench my fists, nails digging into my palms. Louisa. How dare she get another mate after being rejected by me?How can the fucking goddess
DOMINICA DAY AGOThe crackling of the fireplace is the only sound in my study as I sit behind my desk, fingers drumming against the polished wood. The flickering flames cast long shadows across the room, but they do little to dispel the cold that has settled into my bones. It is taking too fucking long.How hard is it to get such simple Intel.This is what I get when I work with incompetents.My phone buzzes against the desk, bringing me out from my thoughts and I glance at the screen. It is Martin. It is about time.I bring the phone to my ear, answering in a curt manner “Speak,” I say, my voice calm but laced with the authority that makes sure nobody disobeys me.“Alpha,” Martin’s voice is quiet, like he is whispering, and there is an urgency behind it. “There has been a development.”“What is it?”“Alpha- Viktor Thorn is here. He arrived today. And then Ro- Louisa annoyed that there will be a bonfire party. They are holding it tomorrow night. Everyone’s going to be there.”I